With a whole life ahead and a promising career, River Phoenix passed away too early, suddenly
and quite tragically. For 25 years since his death, people have been saying many different
things about the actor, some more controversial than others. Stay with CurioSips to get to
know everything about River Phoenix! The oldest child in the Phoenix family was
born on August 23, 1970, in Madras, Oregon. But, before getting well-known, River initially
had his parents’ surname Bottom. As we mentioned in our video about his brother, Joaquin Phoenix,
his parents decided to change their last name and start a new life after leaving the religious
group the Children of God. Such a relief! Because calling such a legendary actor River
Bottom could be a bit frustrating… Obviously, during his childhood, it caused constant teasing
from his schoolmates and neighbors. Since childhood, River showed a talent for
music, so he learned to play the guitar and, while he lived with his parents in Venezuela,
both he and his sister, Rain, played on the streets of Caracas to earn some money. The
Bottoms decided to leave their old life behind and return to the United States. It was then
that River and his brothers decided to try their luck in the world of acting. River was
the one who quickly attracted the attention of Hollywood bigwigs.
After taking part in several commercials and TV programs, the young River quickly became
a child star of American TV, continuing his musical career. Finally, in 1985 he had his
film debut in the movie "Explorers", where he played a young inventor. But, without a
doubt, the great success of his career as a child actor was achieved thanks to his participation
in the classic film, "Stand By Me", 1986, based on Stephen King's novel, "The Body".
From that moment the young River became an important figure in the film industry, starring
with the greatest actors such as Harrison Ford, in the film "Indiana Jones and the Last
Crusade," where Phoenix played young Indiana, and Keanu Reeves, in the 1991 film, "My own
private Idaho," and even received the Oscar nomination for his role of Danny Pope, in
the 1988 film, "Running on Empty." An interesting fact that only a few know is
that River, like the rest of his family, was vegan. In addition to the recognition for
his acting talent, in 1992 the young Phoenix also received a Humanitarian Award for his
altruistic efforts. And not only River was a spokesman for the animal rights organization,
PETA, but he also donated significant sums of money for charitable causes.
But, his veganism and concerns for all living things were, strangely enough, accompanied
by his consumption of tobacco, alcohol and other illegal substances. And it became his
curse… On the night of October 31, 1993, he lost his life by consuming an explosive
mixture of narcotics known as Speedball. Many things about that tragic night still remain
a mystery. However, in October 2018, on the occasion
of the 25th anniversary of that event, the actress Samantha Mathis, who was River's girlfriend
at the time of his death, spoke with The Guardian about it.
According to her, that night River and she gave a ride to Rain and Joaquin Phoenix to
the Johnny Depp’s nightclub, Viper Room. But when they arrived at the venue, River
offered to hang out there as some people playing live asked him to join the band. Samantha
wasn’t very enthusiastic but she agreed because she thought it wouldn’t take long.
But, according to her, from the beginning she had a bad feeling “I knew something
was wrong that night, something I didn’t understand.” This is why she tried to calm
down thinking that River would come back soon as he had his belongings in the trunk of her
car… Bursting into tears, Samantha ends the story with the harrowing phrase, "Forty-five
minutes later, he was dead." After his early and tragic death at only 23,
River Phoenix left his friends and family devastated, a legacy of an estimated $5 million
dollars at that time and unfinished career. Among other films he never got a chance to
play in, he didn’t finish his role in the film "Dark Blood".
Also, just before River passed away, the creators of the film, "Interview with the Vampire",
based on the Anne Rice novel, wanted to offer him a role of Neil Jordan, the interviewer
of Louis de Pointe du Lac, played by Brad Pitt. Instead, the producers chose the actor
Christian Slater and dedicated the film to the late Phoenix.
What do you think about the sudden death of River Phoenix? Do you think he would have
become an outstanding actor if he hadn’t died? We’ll gladly read your comments and
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community! See you next time!